American Go E-Journal

GU LI IS THE NEW SUPER MEIJIN: In a close and well-battled final round, Gu Li (l) came out on top defeating Lee Changho by 1.5 points in the first Super Meijin Tournament on July 26. Gu Li had lost to Lee Changho in the first round, defeated Iyama Yuta in the second, and came back in the final round to win (click here for an interview with all three players). LEE CHANGHO ADVANCES TO PRICE INFORMATION CUP FINALS: Lee Changho 9P defeated Choi Cheolhan 9P by 2.5 points in the semifinal match of the 6th Price Information Cup on Saturday. The other semifinal match between Lee Sedol 9P and Won Sungjin 9P will be played on August 8th. The Price Information Cup title match is a best-of-three series. The winner of this tournament will challenge current title holder Kim Jiseok for the 2010 Price Information Cup title. KUKSU UNDERWAY: The 54th Kuksu is now underway. Two of the eight first-round matches were played on July 26th and 28th. The first tournament match was close, with Hong Kipyo 4D defeating Yeom Junghoon 7D by just half a point. In the second match, An Hyungjun 2P defeated Park Jinsol 4D by resignation in a very short game of only 94 moves. The remaining six first-round matches will be played in August. The winner of this tournament will challenge Lee Changho, the current Kuksu title holder. The Kuksu — the longest running competition in South Korea — is held by the Hanguk Kiwon and sponsored by The Dong-a Ilbo. Even though it is no longer the largest tournament in terms of prize money, many people still consider the Kuksu title (Kuksu literally means “hand of the nation” or the best player in the country) to be the most prestigious of all Korean titles, especially given its long tradition. The winner’s prize is 40 million KRW.– JustPlayGo for full reports, photos and game records; Kuksu report includes reporting from Wikipedia